Smart lighting is almost commonplace now, but Hue is still one of the biggest names in this smart home category. At CES, the company has announced several initiatives for 2018. A new app is on the way for everyone, and it’ll tie into some interesting synchronization options for those with color-changing lights. There are also new lights coming out that are specifically designed for outdoor environments.

The popular Hue lineup of smart lighting devices from Philips has now been extended to the garden, yard, and terrace. The new outdoor lights include wall-mounted luminaries, spotlights, and pillar post available in a variety of styles and color output to match your taste.

The new outdoor lights work with your existing Hue bridge and app which means they’ll work seamlessly with the vast Hue ecosystem of supported products. That means they can be controlled with Alexa, Siri, or Google voice assistants; and can be triggered with the Hue Home and Away feature to light up a pathway using the new Hue Calla, for example, when you (and your smartphone) return home. Or, if you prefer, set the new Hue Lily spotlight to automatically come on…

Philips Lighting, Acuity Brands, Eaton, and OSRAM are among the leading players in the Internet of Things (IoT) for lighting market, according to a new report from Navigant Research.

The report, which can be found here, assesses 16 vendors in total, including larger vendors, such as Cisco, Intel, Schneider Electric, and Siemens. These players are all placed as challengers, as opposed to contenders or leaders.

Navigant Research argues that the total global market for IoT lighting is set to hit $ 5.5 billion by 2027, up from $ 808.2 million this year.

The research firm defines IoT for lighting as ‘adding value beyond illumination.’ “Connectivity and communication can happen between devices within the lighting system and between lighting devices and non-lighting devices,” it adds. “Within lighting systems, such communication can be accomplished through lighting controls. Networked lighting controls achieve many of the aspects described in this definition of IoT lighting solutions.”

The report assesses a variety of questions, including the drivers pushing ahead the IoT for lighting market, global revenue forecasts, and the strengths and weaknesses of each company.

“The leaders within this report have separated themselves from the competition through a broad solution portfolio, strong partner relationships, and advanced technology development,” said Krystal Maxwell, Navigant research analyst. “Contenders and challengers in this market will need to improve in various ways, from expanding their solution offerings, to increasing sales, to differentiating themselves through unique features and applications.”

In terms of how smart lighting equates to the IoT, a blog post from OSRAM explains the link. “Currently, we are at the infancy stage of what the IoT will enable – today we are seeing just a sliver’s worth of applications from a very big pie of potential applications,” the blog notes. Smart lighting is playing a pivotal role, unlocking the power of the IoT and smart building applications.

“Lighting is ubiquitous throughout all buildings and every luminaire is connected to a source of power,” it adds. “It is the perfect conduit for collecting data on what is happening in the building at any given time.”

The Philips Hue line of smart lighting and lighting accessories are some of the best smart products money can buy. Check here for information and updates on the Hue app and updated and upcoming Hue products.

What’s new with Philips Hue?

February 15, 2018 – Philips’ new Hue White Ambience Cher light fixture is now available for pre-order!

Philips announced today that a new addition to their Hue smart lighting system is now officially available for pre-order. Called Cher, the new LED light fixture comes in both flushmount (priced at $ 160) and semi-flushmount (priced at $ 175) suspension styles, allowing you to find the perfect fit for any room.

Cher is designed specifically to distribute customizable, natural-feeling light evenly throughout your home. Outfitted with Philips Hue’s signature White Ambiance bulb, Cher’s light ranges from cool to warm white, and can be adjusted to fit every activity from reading to entertaining. Aesthetically, both the flushmount and semi-flushmount fixtures are sleek and classic, and stylistically versatile enough to pair with any decor.

In addition to the Cher fixtures, Philips also announced the Hue Ambiance 5/6″ Retrofit Recessed Downlight, a new subtle downlight that fits directly into your recessed lighting cans. These lights offer the same gentle, natural lighting as the Cher fixtures, making them a solid addition to your daily smart lighting system. As with all Philips Hue lights, they’re dimmable, so you can select the ideal setting for any mood or activity.

Both the Cher and Retrofit Recessed Downlight fixtures require the Hue Bridge for the full Hue smart lighting experience. If you already have Philips Hue lighting, you won’t need to make any extra purchases in addition to your pre-order.

June 20, 2017 – You can now pre-order Hue White Ambiance Candelabra bulbs!

Not long ago, Philips announced plans to add new bulbs and fixtures to the Philips Hue line. The company’s flushmount LED light and table lamps were already available for preorder and the Hue White Ambiance Candelabra bulbs just joined the mix!

You’ll be able to get your hands on Philips’ new candelabra bulbs on July 2, 2017. The white ambiance bulbs (50,000 shades of white from warm to cool white) retail at $ 29.99 a piece. It’s a little on the pricey side if you plan to replace several candelabra bulbs in your home (my home, for example, has four fan & light fixtures with four bulbs each), but I’m hoping Philips will eventually offer candelabra bulbs in the less-expensive Hue White model.

Until then, you can get your pre-order in over on Amazon! Amazon says it’ll ship ’em out on the July 2 launch date.

May 2017 – Philips announces three new Philips Hue lighting products

Philips announced three new lighting products, including a flushmount LED light and two table lamps. The company also plans to offer candelabra style (E14 base) bulbs, bringing the Philips Hue line to 80% of fixtures.

The new lighting products are expected to ship as early as mid-June. Philips has yet to offer pre-orders for the candelabra bulb.

Philips Hue – Everything you need to know!

Lightbulbs — particularly the Hue line from Philips — are among the first connected-home products people buy. Controlling light with the sound of your voice or a tap of your smartphone is more than just an awesome feeling — it also makes for a great demo! When you’re trying to show your friends and family why you just spent a not-insignificant amount of money on lightbulbs, it’s nice to be able to clearly show off your new superpower.

Whether you’re deciding on your first home automation gizmo, or you just want to add another internet-connected bulb to your automated home, this piece aims to help you better understand the difference between Philips various light bulb offerings.

Illuminate with Lumens

Before we get into the different bulbs, we need to talk about lumens. It used to be when you’d go to the store to buy a light bulb, you’d choose your bulb based on watts. Most of us know — relatively, at least — the brightness of a 60-watt bulb compared to a 100-watt bulb. But watts measure how much energy a bulb uses to produce light, not how bright the light is.

That’s where lumens come in! Lumens measure the brightness of a light source and provide a more accurate representation of how much light your bulb can produce. As bulbs become more energy efficient, watts become less relevant — a 10-watt LED bulb could produce some 800 lumens of light!

Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance

This is the Philips Hue bulb most people are familiar with — it’s the dimmable bulb that can turn all sorts of colors. You can set the mood for a horror movie with deep red lighting, pump up a party with bright blue lighting, or just start your day with a soft white light.

Philips Hue White Ambiance

The White Ambiance model produces white light in thousands upon thousands of variations. This bulb does not produce colors — only different white color temperatures. It can produce soft orange light, bright blue light, crisp white light, and any shade of white in between.

Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus

The Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus is a strip of multicolor LED lights with a sticky backing. You can peel and stick the 6.6-foot lightstrip on most surfaces to provide illumination and color. Philips Hue Lighstrip Plus can be used as down lighting for cabinets, bias lighting for an entertainment center, or any number of other applications where you want to add a splash of color and light.

Philips has issued new firmware for its HomeKit-compatible Hue lighting system, updating the Bridge to include support for Zigbee 3.0, allowing it to work with a wider array of connected lights, lamps, and similar devices produced by other companies.AppleInsider – Frontpage News

Innogy, the European energy provider, has installed a smart lighting system from Philips Lighting that aims to boost energy levels and workplace comfort, as well as visibility.

Executives at Philips Lighting say that the implementation of LED lighting at energy provider Innogy is “tuned to support the circadian rhythms of Innogy’s office staff”.

Innogy, which serves 23 million customers in Europe, completed a renovation project of its Czech Republic headquarters in Limuzska, Prague in November 2017. The site consists of three buildings housing 550 employees. As part of the revamp, the company wanted an open plan office and a new system of lighting.

The company decided to install a networked lighting system that consisted of approximately 2,000 Philips LED luminaires, including 860 Philips PowerBalance tunable white ceiling fixtures and 96 Philips LuxSpace tuneable white downlights, programmed to provide different light settings at various times of the day.

“At the beginning of the day the office lights mimic natural daylight, providing a useful energy boost. The light levels decrease until after lunch when we give another boost to help staff over the post-lunch energy dip,” said Tomas Michna, senior manager for facility and services at innogy Czech Republic.

Successful office makeover

Michna suggested that the company’s aim to create an “outstanding environment” for employees had been successful.

“Nearly 80 percent of employees surveyed described the new lighting as better or much better than the previous fluorescent tube lighting, while 60 percent agreed that it contributed to a place in which they wanted to work,” he said.

Employees at innogy can also override the light settings at any time, tailoring the light to their needs, using a Philips Antumbra Dynalite control. Meanwhile, the installation included approximately 150 sensors that detect human presence and automatically switch off in empty rooms, saving the company electricity. The combination of LED lighting and controls has helped innogy to reduce electricity usage by around 50 percent compared to the previous fluorescent lighting that was in place.

The concept of smart lighting has been around for several years. Back in 2015, the UK county of Gloucestershire said it would deploy 55,000 LED streetlights to cover 1,000 square miles of the area. They would be wirelessly connected and managed via Telensa’s PLANet Central Management System.

According to Harshvardhan Chitale, vice chairman and managing director of Philips Lighting India, IoT-driven smart lights will “be the default” in the next five to 10 years.

Philips used this week’s CES to announce a series of software-related upgrades to its Hue lighting system, including the immediate launch of Hue Entertainment, and new apps for both desktop and mobile devices.AppleInsider – Frontpage News

Hot on the heels of its integration with Razer’s Chroma lighting system, Philips has announced a way to sync its smart lights with not just games, but anything and everything that shows up on your computer.

It’ll all work through an upcoming app, called Hue Sync, which will be released for Windows 10 and macOS High Sierra. Hue Sync watches what’s on your screen and automatically changes your lights to match. This is mostly meant for when you’re watching a movie or gaming, but you could even just be browsing a webpage and have the lights change as you scroll. It can also sync up with playing music, and you have the option to dial in exactly how intense all these effects are.

Developers on Tuesday continued efforts to support Apple’s iPhone X, with Google updating its Hangouts chat app and Philips refreshing its Hue lighting control software to take advantage of the phone’s edge-to-edge OLED screen.AppleInsider – Frontpage News